#union

VTP for Leg T union workers June 15th.

Mass exodus by choice and some forced out. All locations are trimming fat so they can find a viable suitor for each non performing business unit. Glad I left before more cuts. Poorly ran from the top down, and frankly the union that exists in many locations is the downfall of any company with potential. Less than 7% of companies have unions and they all struggle, all layoff and eventually sell various business units to divest that waste and added expenses that union employees present to companies.

Scene: Corporate office conference room. A banner reads “Forward Together.” It’s hanging slightly crooked.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
Mr. Go-Go, thanks for sitting down with me. Employees have some questions about the company’s direction over the last few years.

GO-GO:
Of course. Transparency is very important to leadership. That’s why my office door has a window.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
Some people feel like the company went from an industry leader to… well… struggling a bit.

GO-GO:
I wouldn’t say struggling. I’d say we’ve entered a period of strategic unpredictability.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
Right. And some employees think leadership decisions might have played a role.

GO-GO:
Impossible. Leadership can’t cause problems. Leadership is what fixes problems. That’s basic leadership.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
One concern I keep hearing about is the risk of employees talking about unionizing.

GO-GO:
Ah yes, unionization. We’ve studied that extensively.

EMPLOYEE:
What did you conclude?

GO-GO:
That employees tend to talk about unions when they’re unhappy.

EMPLOYEE:
That sounds… concerning.

GO-GO:
Not really. Our solution is simple.

EMPLOYEE:
What’s that?

GO-GO:
We encourage employees not to be unhappy.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
Another topic people mention is moving operations away from places like Bartlesville, which some say has been keeping the company afloat.

GO-GO:
Yes, we’re very proud of our strategy there.

EMPLOYEE:
Could you explain it?

GO-GO:
Certainly. Bartlesville has been very reliable for decades. Which means it’s clearly time to move away from it.

EMPLOYEE:
Why would reliability be a problem?

GO-GO:
Complacency. If something works too well for too long, people start expecting it to keep working.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
So the plan is to move resources away from places that are performing well?

GO-GO:
Exactly. Leadership is about bold moves.

EMPLOYEE:
Even if they don’t make sense?

GO-GO:
Especially then. Those are the moves people remember.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
Some employees say the company culture has become dysfunctional.

GO-GO:
I disagree completely.

EMPLOYEE:
You do?

GO-GO:
Yes. Dysfunction requires coordination, and we have very little of that.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
What about morale?

GO-GO:
Morale is very important. That’s why we measure it every year.

EMPLOYEE:
What happens after you measure it?

GO-GO:
We measure it again the next year.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
So what’s your plan to turn things around?

GO-GO:
Simple. We’re forming a task force.

EMPLOYEE:
To fix the problems?

GO-GO:
No, to identify the appearance of problems.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
And then what?

GO-GO:
Then we’ll form another task force to determine whether the first task force should have existed.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
Well… that sounds thorough.

GO-GO:
Leadership always is.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
One last question. Are you confident in the company’s future?

GO-GO:
Absolutely.

EMPLOYEE:
Why’s that?

GO-GO:
Because if things get any worse, expectations will be much easier to exceed.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
That’s… surprisingly reassuring.

GO-GO:
Thank you. Confidence is the cornerstone of leadership.

⸻

EMPLOYEE:
Well Mr. Go-Go, I appreciate your time.

GO-GO:
Anytime. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an important meeting.

EMPLOYEE:
About fixing the company?

GO-GO:
No. About changing the banner in this room to say “Strategic Excellence.”

I think it will really boost morale.

(Credit GBT) someone please make a short out of this!!! lol

Rutgers-New Brunswick terminated 37 part-time lecturers this month. These lecturers taught approximately 100 classes in the School of Arts and Sciences. The university cited reasons such as lack of funding or no continuing need for the positions. Faculty unions called the layoffs "absurd." They claim the budget shortfall is fictional.

New Brunswick, New Jersey

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/education/2026/03/15/rutgers-lecturers-say-absurd-layoffs-dont-justify-savings/89139843007/

The return to work for laid-off Ultium Cells employees may be delayed. A union representative stated this information. Hundreds of hourly workers were laid off in January. Their scheduled return was within the first two weeks of June. Low electric vehicle demand could extend their layoff period.

Lordstown

https://www.wfmj.com/story/53480548/laidoff-ultium-cells-workers-return-to-work-could-be-delayed-due-to-low-demand?clienttype=mobile

Anyone else see the stocks that all the execs got? It's crazy that they are laying people off in different BUs, changing the variable comp goal posts, and bringing in McKenzie over and over and they still get that bonus. Are we all just happy with a job and .9 VC instead of demanding better? Feels like they are asking for unions with this BS.

Just wanted to put a feeler out there see how many people this may be affecting. People having shortened/no checks for 4-5 weeks some longer. Benefits not being funded for the union guys. Some had to pay out of pocket to keep health insurance. What do you get from Honeywell no information, no one to talk to, and they basically laugh it off like hah some people been getting really sc--wed on their pay (actually said on a meeting). The ship is sinking

The Springfield Education Association filed an unfair labor practice complaint. It accuses Springfield Public Schools of using mid-year layoffs to disrupt negotiations. The district laid off 27 teachers and reduced two to part-time in January. The union seeks reinstatement for affected employees and financial penalties. Springfield Public Schools stated it cannot comment on ongoing legal matters.

Springfield, Oregon

https://www.klcc.org/education/2026-03-13/springfield-education-association-files-unfair-labor-practice-complaint-over-mid-year-layoffs

3 of the largest NYC locals are advising their members to vote no on this contract. Locals 1101,1106, and 1109.

Will enough members vote no? Combined with members in the other locals who may vote no even tho their locals are recommended a yes? There's enough people in those 3 locals alone to vote down this temporary extension and send it back to bargaining...

The ibew is silent? They haven't sent out any letters or explanations..

The majority of people whining about this contract extension are the ones retiring in the next 4 years. They’ve taken everything away from you. Your pensions, your retiree healthcare, and your job security,

Now they want to take away what little you get with this extension for their own benefit. Your raises, your increased payment towards your medical in retirement, even more job security, your extra work that secures your place in the company, etc, etc. All of that because they have pay a little bit extra into their healthcare.

NO MORE!!

These old farts have ruined the union and are looking to make sure it stays ruined for their benefit. The majority of them have barely showed up for work since they started. They are parasites, abusers, and a cancer and their retirement will be our savior.

VOTE YES!!

There was a REAL shop steward who carried more weight on his shoulders than anyone realized. Some say he was about to become the chief shop steward He was a really good steward and a good person who endured unimaginable loss. He turned the K&L bay around on all three shifts, and back then everyone knew it—people were disappointed and very very angry before he stepped in, and he fought every day to close the wage gap, improve health insurance, and push for better retirement. Fair and equal pay used to be the core of what the/a union stood for. Cell leaders back then would tell him GE will close the doors have to remain competitive and he would tell them no one would care look at the place plus who else makes the product we make.
But every contract, more was taken away. The D-rates were treated like gold while the T-rates were treated like third-class citizens for the first 4-5 years. With everything he was dealing with personally, it’s no surprise he acted the way he did. He said you only live once try to make it better like GE use to be. He masked the trauma very well members would ask him how he keeps going? But he still showed up and fought the fight 100% with those scars.
No one really knew what he was going through deep down. But everyone knew what happened in his life at that time even The not so HUMAN resources, personnel aka Nicole and Jason.
He didn’t take a sever-ties package. He just needed a break. He resigned with a full month’s notice. After seeing 200 people or so loose their jobs. Co workers the union brotherhood he fought everyday to make waves on split pay scale and T Rates getting treated like rubbish. Versus D rates getting treated like gold.
Fast forward-
When hiring picked back up again I told him to reapply. He got an interview a few years ago, but it sank immediately. He interviewed with Nicole from HR and he said she clearly wasn’t happy she stopped in her tracks when she asked him his name she was shocked he was even in the room—she just went through the interview motions. He knew right then he wasn’t getting back in.
I also spoke to HR—Nicole and Jason—before that interview. They told me directly that they would never let him back in. He was blackballed.
There is nothing “human” about a Human Resources department that treats people this way. They’ve always been against the union, and this is just one more example! So think twice! Don’t fight the fight! Be a puppet let the union leadership make back door deals.

He used to be a shop steward who was steady, calm, and genuinely committed to the job. Then his life was hit with two devastating tragedies: first his mother was ki-led, and not long after, his 15-year-old daughter was ki-led. Even through that grief, he continued to show up and fight for the members.

During the 2017–2018 layoffs, he finally resigned. He was dealing with overwhelming loss and felt stuck in a cycle he couldn’t break. His therapist suggested that stepping away for a while might help him move forward after the two tragedies that happened just a year and a half apart.

When hiring picked back up, he reapplied again late last year He interviewed with the bar shop cell leader, who was highly impressed with him and specifically needed someone with his experience and leadership in the bar shop. Despite that strong recommendation to HUMAN resources department Jason and his proven track record as a go‑getter who always went 100% for the union, HR (Jason) still blackballed him.

No second chance, no acknowledgment of what he had been through—just a closed door. No chance to show how he overcame tragedy and was resilient to overcome adversity. Only a strong person who brought the good fight for the cause to make things better.

He’s a very good man with a very good heart who endured unimaginable loss but yet still tried making things better for the split pay scale, no pension issue and better healthcare. And now he’s permanently shut out by Jason in HR. A real example of how even the strongest union supporters can be written off for reasons that have nothing to do with their work quality.

All the so called friends he had that he represented only a couple reaches out to see how he is doing. Only a few even say hi in public.

He was a steward of around 25 members. Managment did not mess with his crew to much. I’ve seen managers and cell leaders shake when he was around them. Ops leaders and cell leaders hardly came down when the legend was around. Now look at the place only if he could see it now and laugh at the union weakness.

Long live the legend who raised he-l and didn’t back down for the membership for the cause. We need the legend back!

How is it that a bargaining unit in New Jersey gets 5% a year for 3 years (plus a sign-on bonus of 1% each year for a total of 18%) ???
I got a lousy 2.5% ! Most people got 2 - 3%.
Obviously the New Jersey crime syndicate is alive and well in that union.

Please, Union, stop with the condescending emails that indicates you take your benefactor, dues-paying, members for mo--ns. No matter how much lipstick you attempt to put on this pig of an "agreement", it's not improving.
Get out of your ivory national tower. I know the union pays good, off our backs, but we need to be paid too for doing the actual work that keeps you at your temperature-controlled desks. Fight the fight your cushy jobs are paying you to fight.

So I believe firmly the unions contract will be ratified.I believe not too long after there will be some sort of Eisp offered to the associates.Not too long after I see there being quite a few more Management Layoffs with plenty of reorganization efforts.The real unknown is wether any of this will right the Verizon ship.Only time will tell if the Company can change in positive way.But one thing that is sure good contracts or bad .No matter how much has been eroding.I am very appreciative for being Union.Never really getting rich but being able to be comfortable and secure .Almost 30 years of hearing the union will be eliminated!!Well still here.In reference to the retiree’s premed insurance situation no doubt stinks but unfortunately it’s more of a country wide issue that has been building for everyone non union and union alike.It is not a mandatory company negotiation item.A impasse cannot be declared over retiree issues under 1971 NLRB ruling of what’s determined as an active employer.yes the door never should have been opened but closing it now just isn’t feasible

The California Faculty Association (CFA) demands CSU Bakersfield avoid faculty layoffs. CSU Bakersfield management notified CFA of potential layoffs due to a projected budget shortfall. This would be the second round of faculty layoffs in three years for the campus. CFA argues these layoffs are unnecessary given increased enrollment and proposed state funding. The union also highlights recent executive salary increases within the CSU system.

Bakersfield, California

https://www.calfac.org/cfa-demands-csu-bakersfield-to-avoid-layoffs-preserve-faculty-ability-to-serve-students/

An AFSCME local accused a New Jersey hospital. The union claims the hospital violated state law. This violation concerns the abrupt closure of most of its facility. The facility closure happened in November. The hospital allegedly failed to provide required notice.

New Jersey

https://www.law360.com/amp/articles/2451779

Hawaiian Airlines will eliminate 48 nonunion positions. These job cuts are scheduled for May and June. This marks the fourth round of layoffs since the Alaska Air Group acquisition. A total of 418 employees have been laid off across these rounds. The company is also hiring 800 unionized workers.

https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2026/03/09/hawaiian-airlines-job-cuts-fourth-round.html

People are walking on eggshells over very stupid things. Most of it is very questionable union has been contacted. Anything to do with merger?

I have a concern regarding the tentative agreement in the Northeast.
I realize we paid a heavy price in 1989 and, as a result of that sacrifice, were able to keep essentially cost-free medical benefits for the next two-and-a-half decades.
However, uncertain economic times in 2016 resulted in us, fairly or not, shouldering more of the burden, not only the men and women that had 20, 25, 30, 35... years on the job under their belt already, but also the retirees now had to unexpectedly pony up and adjust to this new and unexpected financial burden on a fixed income based on earlier reasonable expectations and assumptions, if I understand correctly.
I am now hearing murmurings about about retiree healthcare skyrocketing, from, say, $60 a month to 10X that amount, $600 a month, for example. I hope these rumors are wrong and that I am needlessly worrying about something that will never come to be.
Are there any guarantees built into this new tentative agreement that shield both our current retirees, as well as those that will eventually be joining their ranks, from the future uncertainty of exorbitant increases that will make affordability a larger hurdle, if not an impossibility, for the elderly who served their union and their company well?

Does anybody have any details on this?

We pay our dues and when the contract is due, another benefit gets eliminated. Why do union leaders make so much money and NOT produce for the members?

2008 the healthcare went away for new hires

2012 the pension went away

2016 techs started to become anti union and cross the line

2019 extended this cr-p

2022 techs become completely anti union. They threaten to cross the line if there’s a strike and give up on the rest of the union.

2026 why should I care if there no union in the union.

looking like its just barely passing. Guys, the 104 Weeks may be coming next month. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Technicians in the North East that handle Network Assurance/Transport are now being moved to the VZB Union position. Not all details have been fleshed out but your VZW Switch techs will now be VZB

I’d love to see some change on the floor

I don’t think everything is our representatives fault we have to take some accountability as well.

One of the things I don’t understand from our reps though is the gate keeping of our contract, I’ve heard a few times about refusal to get a copy of the contract.

We should all have the opportunity to get a copy so we can enforce the contract and hold management and each other accountable.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University is implementing another round of layoffs this week. These cuts will impact unionized employees. The university faces a sharp decline in revenue. This is primarily due to falling international student enrollment. Previous measures included administrative cuts and a hiring freeze.

https://vancouversun.com/news/kwantlen-polytechnic-university-kpu-more-layoffs-enrolment-declines-bcgeu

Again we are being promised another “cost of living adjustment” at the end of the contract. Healthcare is going up. Inflation is on par with the raises so basically we are left with nothing but what we started with.Can someone explain to me why I pay dues to this union? I would’ve been better off negotiating for myself

Can the Mods create a separate thread or link for the Union folks? Just like VzW has its own...since these folks started posting here, we lost the fundamental topcs....

Last year company/union talks broke off supposedly over the raise in caps for retiree healthcare. Now we have a tentative contract where the info just released does not seem to address this issue at all. Did the company use that memory erasing device from the Men In Black movie ("neuralyzer") on the union? I guess we all just have to work until Medicare eligible, and then pray that they don't take that and SS away from us to give more tax breaks to Elon Musk and the other multi billionaires. Is anybody out there actually representing the working stiff?

UC Berkeley plans to terminate its Fall Program for First Semester (FPF). This program has supported thousands of freshmen over 43 years. The closure threatens layoffs for 29 FPF lecturers. A campus work group recommended termination due to misalignment with objectives and low student opt-ins. The lecturers' union is now bargaining to preserve their positions and benefits.

https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/uc-berkeley-to-terminate-fall-program-for-freshmen-threatening-mass-lecturer-layoffs/article_c30602de-6e13-49f2-8c32-d726144f8308.html

Rochester Regional Health cut 40 positions. These layoffs affect three St. Lawrence County hospitals. 22 union members from 1199 SEIU are impacted. Five CSEA union workers at Massena Hospital are also affected. The health group is subcontracting billing and coding work.

Potsdam, New York

https://www.wwnytv.com/2026/03/03/layoffs-st-lawrence-co-hospitals/

Does anyone know what was agreed on in the new contract extension? Raises, pensions, additional vacation,? Etc...

Any info on the retirement medical was anything done

That’s the only information I’ve gotten so far.

So good news I hear pretty good things coming but sounds like a big package to get associates off payroll which means unfortunately a lot more managers are gonna get the rif soon

Extended through 8/1/30

Pending ratification. No particulars as of yet..

Just saw a 4 yr extinction on the union contract. Hopefully its somewhat decent but time will tell

Plan is coming down the line. Regardless of contract extension or not. À la ups style

$5000 per year of service to leave the company. No restrictions . 5 years or 50 years. Major downsizing is wanted by the company. No ipp offer. Across the board. They will back fill and train if needed for some job titles.